LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Agua Caliente
Sacramento, CA: (Jul-14-07) The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a wealthy Riverside County Indian tribe, filed a lawsuit against the Fair Political Practices Commission, alleging that it was exempt from state campaign disclosure laws. The tribe claimed that such exclusion was a wholesale attack on tribal sovereignty. In December 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled against Agua Caliente, and some feared the case ultimately would compromise the claims of tribes nationwide that, as sovereign entities, they have the power to govern themselves and are exempt from many state laws.
In a settlement reached, Agua Caliente agreed not to appeal the California Supreme Court decision and to waive its sovereign immunity with respect to enforcement of state campaign disclosure laws. Agua Caliente is the only tribe in the state that has explicitly waived its sovereignty in such a manner. It also agreed to a $200,000 payout to the state general fund, although under the terms of the settlement the payment is not considered a penalty. [LOS ANGELES TIMES: TRIBE DISCLOSURE]
Published on Jul-16-07
In a settlement reached, Agua Caliente agreed not to appeal the California Supreme Court decision and to waive its sovereign immunity with respect to enforcement of state campaign disclosure laws. Agua Caliente is the only tribe in the state that has explicitly waived its sovereignty in such a manner. It also agreed to a $200,000 payout to the state general fund, although under the terms of the settlement the payment is not considered a penalty. [
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